


lovers (orjustfriends)

by penceypineapple



Series: idiots in love [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Day Three: Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, M/M, Miscommunication, Post-Canon, Sokka (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Zukka Week 2021, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 11:22:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30088350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/penceypineapple/pseuds/penceypineapple
Summary: Zuko places a gentle hand on Sokka’s shoulder. “Are you really that scared of me?”“No,” Sokka says shakily. “Not at all.”Or: Sokka has always loved Zuko. His best friend. But he’s never told Zuko the truth about how he feels. Until now.
Relationships: Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: idiots in love [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2213031
Comments: 8
Kudos: 111





	lovers (orjustfriends)

**Author's Note:**

> zukka week 2021 day 3: Friends to lovers  
> Hope you enjoy!!

“I like him, Katara. I like him and I’ve liked him for so long and I don’t know what to do.”

Katara smiles. “I knew it!”

Sokka laughs nervously. “Was it really that obvious?”

“Yeah. It was pretty obvious. So why don’t you say anything to him?”

“I don’t want to ruin our friendship. He’s my best friend and I don’t want to lose him, so I’m scared of saying anything. I don’t even know if he likes me back. He probably doesn’t.”

“What if he feels the same way though? What if he’s assuming you don’t like him either? And then neither of you end up saying anything?”

Sokka shakes his head. “Someone like _him_ , liking someone like _me_? There’s no way.”

It’s true. Zuko’s the Fire Lord after all, while Sokka’s practically a nobody. He doesn’t come from a family of royalty, he can’t bend, and he can barely even fight anymore after breaking his leg. It seems impossible that Zuko would ever see him as more than just a friend.

“Why not? Sokka, you’re smart. You’re funny. You’re-“

“Stop,” Sokka groans. “We all know those things aren’t true.”

“I think you’ve somehow convinced yourself that you’re useless or unlovable,” Katara says, turning to him. “But you’re not, Sokka. I know it’s hard, but believe me, okay? You’re not.”

Sokka nods. “Alright.” For what else is he supposed to say? He doesn’t want to talk about his insecurities anymore. It only makes him feel worse about himself, worse for the hundreds of things he can’t do.

“You’re not listening to me.”

“I’m listening. I just don’t want to talk about it, I guess.”

A defeated look washes over Katara’s face, and her voice turns quieter, so quiet Sokka can barely hear her. “Fine,” she says, rising to her feet. “Goodnight, Sokka. Get some sleep, okay?”

“Okay. Night,” Sokka says, as Katara climbs out of the tent.

But as he climbs into bed, he can’t sleep. He usually finds it easier to sleep when he’s home with his tribe, but tonight, it’s as difficult to sleep as it is when he’s visiting the Fire Nation, when he’s constantly reminded of the war. For the war may be physically over, but it’s still very much alive in his head. But he knows all his friends and family are dealing with the same thing. Nobody has been able to let go of the war. Perhaps it will be ingrained in their souls forever.

It’s a scary thought, that his painful memories may never heal. But it’s also a distinct possibility. For Zuko still struggles with memories and dreams of his father burning his face, which happened seven years ago now. Sokka knows, for he always comes to visit the Fire Nation on the anniversary of the event. He knows it’s the hardest day of Zuko’s year, harder than any difficult council meetings, harder than any speech or negotiation, and he needs to be there to support his friend. Because sometimes, there’s wounds that time cannot heal.

But tonight, all he wants is for Zuko’s arms to wrap around his shoulders and plant kisses on his forehead, telling him that everything’s going to be okay _(even though things aren’t okay, Sokka wants to indulge in the lie for once)._ But that can never happen. For Zuko’s living on the other side of the world, and Zuko doesn’t even like Sokka in a romantic way. They’re just friends. Any romantic feelings are mere fantasies operating inside Sokka’s head. They’re not real. They’re not real, and they’ll never be real.

But Sokka can’t keep doing this. Keep pretending, living a lie that Zuko is his friend and nothing more. It’s tearing him up inside.

He remembers what Katara had told him - _“What if he feels the same way though? What if he’s assuming you don’t like him either? And then neither of you end up saying anything?”_

Although it’s unlikely, it’s a possibility.

_Do I dare disturb the universe?_

But the stars are calling to him, telling him to risk it. For a person who risks nothing, is a person who does nothing. Who has nothing. Who _is_ nothing. It is always a risk to love, but it’s a risk he’s willing to take.

 _Next time I visit the Fire Nation,_ he decides. _I’ll tell him how I feel._

* * *

But next time he visits the Fire Nation, he remains silent.

He’s written down a script of what he plans on saying to Zuko, but the more he reads over it and mouths the words from his guest bedroom at the palace, the more he convinces himself that he shouldn’t say anything at all.

Because they’ll never be the same, after Sokka admits how he feels. They’ll never be where they are now, ever again. Even if they agree to continue on as friends, as if no such confession occurred, they won’t be the same. There will forever be an unspoken tension between them, once such close friends reduced to mere strangers. Worse than strangers even, for there would be no hope of the spark ever re-igniting. Years of friendship, shattered in an instant. Two hearts that once beat to one tune would cease to beat in unison ever again. And it would be all Sokka’s fault. 

“Sokka? Can we talk?” Zuko asks him as they walk past each other in the palace corridors.

“W-Why?”

Zuko places a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Sokka, breathe. Seriously. You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Are you really that scared of me?”

“No,” Sokka says shakily. “Not at all.”

“Come on then,” Zuko takes his hand and leads him outside into the palace gardens. “Let’s get some fresh air.”

Does he know? Does he know how much it hurts, how much it tears Sokka up inside? The intertwined fingers, the gentle touches on the shoulder, his irresistible laughter, his close, sweet voice, the way it sets Sokka’s heart racing?

They sit down on the grass beside the pond, breathing in the crisp afternoon air, letting the cool wind calm his soul as the early signs of winter sweep through the Fire Nation. The winters are milder here. Much more tolerable than back home at the tribe, where it’s often too cold to go outside. He wouldn’t mind living here, living through winter after winter with Zuko by his side.

Zuko lets out a deep sigh. He opens his mouth, but no words come out for a long time. He pauses. Resumes. “Toph thinks you’re scared of me.”

“What?”

“Last time we all hung out together. She says your heart beats really fast when you’re around me.”

Sokka doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He decides to laugh. “So? Doesn’t mean I’m scared of you.”

_Zuko really doesn’t know, does he?_

“Then what does it mean? Sokka, you haven’t been yourself lately. I’ve noticed, and I think the others have noticed, too. It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me, but I-I just wanted to make sure you’re okay, I guess.”

Sokka nods slowly. “You’re right. I haven’t been myself lately.”

“Is it me?” Zuko asks, golden eyes wide with what appears to be fear.

“Why would it be _you_?” Sokka doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t want to partake in this conversation anymore, because Zuko thinks Sokka is _scared_ of him. It can’t be further from the truth, the real reason behind his hurt is quite the opposite. But he has nothing to say. It’s not like he can tell Zuko the truth, for Zuko assumes his quickening heart is _fear_ rather than love.

It makes sense, for fear is all Zuko knows.

Zuko shrugs. “I don’t know. Because I’m the Fire Lord, I guess? Lots of people are scared of me because of that. They see the headpiece, the robes, the _scar_ , and they just… freeze.”

Zuko’s hand is hovering over the left side of his face, fingers subconsciously tracing along his scar. Sokka takes his hand and gently pulls it from his face, holding it instead, tracing his thumb along the back of Zuko’s hand. It feels so right, holding Zuko’s hand like this. Like Zuko’s hand was always supposed to be intertwined in his, friends or not.

“It’s not you,” Sokka says quietly. “I don’t look at you and think, _‘oh shit, it’s the Fire Lord’_. You’re my best friend, Zuko. I don’t care whether you’re the Fire Lord or not, because it doesn’t change a single thing between us. And your scar? When I look at you, I don’t see your scar at all.”

“What do you see, then?”

“I see _you_.”

“Oh.”

They’re sitting so close to each other now, so close that their shoulders are almost touching. It sets Sokka’s heart alight, makes his hands tremble. Because he knows what he must do. He must confess, despite being uncertain of his fate. He must show Zuko that he is loved, that there’s someone who loves him.

He opens his mouth, and begins. He is half agony, half hope. “Zuko, my heart doesn’t beat fast because I’m scared of you. It beats fast because I… Because I like you. I’ve liked you for a long time, but I never said anything because I was scared of ruining our friendship. But I can’t live in silence any longer, because it’s killing me not to say anything. Even though it’s pointless, because even if you did like me back once, it’s definitely too late now. All these years, I’ve liked nobody else but you. And I get it. I get that you probably don’t feel the same, and if that’s true then please just tell me and we can pretend this never happened, alright? Just tell me you don’t feel the same.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

Zuko smiles. “Are you really asking me to lie?”

“Zuko, I-“

And Zuko is laughing. It’s the first time Sokka has ever seen him properly laugh. “We’re _idiots_ , Sokka.”

“We really are.”

“So, where should we go from here?”

Sokka takes both of Zuko’s hands, hoping Zuko won’t notice how sweaty his palms are. “To be honest, I didn’t think that far ahead. It’ll have to be long distance at first, but we could try? To, you know, date?”

Zuko squeezes his hands. “Let’s do that,” he says, before looking down. “Your hands are really sweaty.”

“ _Zuko!_ You can’t say something like that to your boyfriend.”

“Watch me.”

Zuko leans in closer, planting a soft kiss on Sokka’s lips. Sokka wraps his arms around Zuko’s shoulders and he kisses him back.

And Sokka laughs, and Zuko laughs too.

_I’m his._

_He’s mine._

_But it’s been that way all along._


End file.
